Case Number 11635

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA: SEASON 3, VOLUME 1

The Charge

Dive to Fantastic Depths and Explore a Hidden Realm

Opening Statement

Long before he was called The Master of Disaster, producer Irwin Allen was
the King of Sixties SciFi TV. From 1966 to 1967, he had three hit sci-fi series
running on television -- Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, Voyage to
the Bottom of the Sea -- and a fourth, Land of the Giants, in the
works. All four series featured high-action, an enormous amount of special
effects, and truly fantastic plots, and he did them all without benefit of
computers.

Though Irwin's shows may look campy by today's standards, they're all still
fondly remembered and great fun to watch. And thought Voyage started out
as more of an action thriller, season three can be summed up with a single
phrase: "Here there be monsters."

Facts of the Case

In 1964, Irwin Allen made his first foray into the world of TV when he shrunk
down his major motion picture Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and turned
it into a weekly series.

As the show rolls into its third season, Richard Basehart (Titanic)
and David Hedison (The Fly) are still heading up the crew of the
submarine Seaview. Bland but beloved Bob Dowdell is there as the sub's exec and
Terry Becker is back (after missing some episodes due to a contract dispute) as
Chief Sharkey. Missing is popular surfer boy Riley (Alan Hunt). The actor
decided to join up with the real life Marines and was sent to Vietnam. And
though this writer appreciates his service to the country, his presence in the
series is greatly missed.

On this DVD set you will find the first half of the third season
including:

Disc One * "Monster from the Inferno" *
"Werewolf" * "The Day the World Ended" *
"Night of Terror" * "The Terrible Toys" *
"Day of Evil"

Disc Three * "The Haunted Submarine" *
"The Plant Man" * "The Lost Bomb"

The Evidence

What can I say about the third season of Voyage except maybe
"Plant Man," "Werewolf," "Terrible Toys." You get
the idea. As with all of Irwin Allen's creations the serious became silly in the
end. It's disappointing on a number of levels. First off, watching a marvelous
dramatic actor like Richard Basehart going hand-to-hand with a guy in a rubber
suit just hurts. But more importantly, it bothers me that these are the episodes
people think of when they think about Voyage. In reality there are many
more good serious episodes, than silly duds but I guess that's how the world
works.

Even in this season with its tremendous budget cuts (A savings plan to help
pay for Land of the Giants maybe) there are a couple of real gems like
"The Day the World Ended." In this episode we're treated to the flying
sub cruising past skyscrapers in Manhattan. When they land in the city, they
find it's deserted and the shots are quite eerie. So there is a Super Elastic
Bubble Plastic monster in this episode, but it's okay because in the end we find
out that it's all a hallucination. Ah, if only the "Thing From Inner
Space" could be explained away so easily.

Irwin's favorite animal, the iguana, is cast once again as a dinosaur in the
badly titled "Night of Terror." We all fear little things skittering
around our feet, which is why "Terrible Toys" isn't as terrible as it
sounds, and Basehart plays his own ghostly ancestor in "The Haunted
Submarine."

The one episode from this season that stuck with me all these years is
"Death Watch." Pawns in a psychological experiment, Nelson and Crane
hunt each other on an empty Seaview. Sharkey is along to witness it all and he's
perfect for the audience point of view. On the surface, this episode appears to
be nothing more than an attempt to crank out a fast, cheap episode. (Talk about
a bottle show!) But visually, it's tense and stunning thanks to the direction of
Leonard Horn.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

I'm spoiled. Earlier releases of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and
the other Irwin Allen properties were filled with cool special features like
bonus movies and behind the scenes footage. Not so here. Here we have only the
traditional still galleries and more of those annoying clipped together
interview questions with David Hedison. There is one highlight, a 1966 radio
interview with Hedison that I'd not heard before, so points for that one. Still,
I hope they're saving the best for last as there are still three more releases
needed to wrap up this series.

Closing Statement

Not my favorite season of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea but there
are plenty of good episodes among the bad. As always, the underwater photography
and the feature film look of the series makes it worth watching. Die-hard fans
like me will buy it just because; no special enticement needed.

The Verdict

There will be no verdict. We have taken over your courtroom. We are from
outer space and we are here to destroy! Destroy! Destroy!